I do not feel that Shakespeare is biased in terms of portrayal of the main characters in The Merchant of Venice. This can be seen through the fair portrayal of these characters.
He portrayed Antonio honest, loyal and helpful friend to Bassanio whereby he offered a pound of his flesh to . However, he turned out to be racist and conducted many anti-Jewish acts on Shylock such as telling him that he was a dog.
Another character portrayed fairly would be Shylock. Shylock, the play's main character, is portrayed as evil and hell bent on killing Antonio through his bond of a pound of flesh. This is due to the religious discrimination that he probably felt such as being marginalised by the Christians. This can be seen in many parts of the play such as during the trial whereby the Christians gang up against him. That can explain his sardonic expression and love for money as he feels resentful towards the Christians. Therefore, Shylock is not just portrayed as a ruthless, evil tyrant, but also a misunderstood character who is discriminated against for being a Jew.
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